I never can keep a secret. I get too excited. I guess I’m one of those excitable types. If I buy a gift for someone, I tell them. If I plan a surprise for someone, I tell them. I just can’t help it! And now, here I go again… Rag Dolls: Callie’s Story will be featured tomorrow, November 12, 2014, on ChoosyBookworm’s “FREE Read and Review Ebooks Program.” What that means is that if you are one of the first 50 people to request it, you will be emailed a free digital copy of Rag Dolls: Callie’s Story,” and all you have to do is agree to review it on Amazon.com! The way the program works is that the first 50 people who go to ChoosyBookworm’s website and request “Rag Dolls: Callie’s Story” (after the feature becomes active) will be emailed a link to download the book FREE in exchange for a review. I’ll post links to the feature page on my Facebook and Twitter pages tomorrow, so if you haven’t liked my Facebook page or followed me on Twitter, now is the time to do it! Of course ChoosyBookworm will advertise the program to their own subscribers, too, but I promised you, my loyal readers, that the first 25 people who registered on my website would get a free digital copy. Since my website has been experiencing technical difficulties, I’m afraid it may have been a little difficult for some to register. So, instead of giving away 25 copies, I’m giving away 50. All you have to do is be one of the first 50 to request it. Remember,...

The week before Halloween, I took my 10 year old son Damien to Walmart so he could pick out his Halloween costume. He was VERY excited! We had been planning our shopping trip for days (in 10 year old Damien’s mind, it had been weeks). We decided we would stop at our local pizza restaurant and eat before our shopping trip so we wouldn’t have to rush. Throughout dinner, Damien talked about various costumes he wanted to look at before he made his final decision. Imagine his disappointment when we arrived at Walmart and found that the entire Halloween section was filled with Christmas trees! That’s right; there was not a Halloween costume in the store. Sadly, Damien dropped his head and we left the store. I’m telling you this story because I want to know that I do realize that it’s too early to be advertising Christmas. We still have Thanksgiving to enjoy. However, I feel like it’s important to tell you now about the free Kindle Fire HD 6 Tablets that I am giving away in time for Christmas. I will give away one tablet each week between November 26, 2014 through December 10, 2014. The contest is open to anyone. All you have to do is register on my website. Please don’t forget to verify your email by clicking on the link in the email you receive after you register. If you didn’t get an email from us please check your spam/junk folder. As a last resort, if you still cannot find the email, you might want to register again. It is possible that your email...

“You can’t judge a book by its cover.” We’ve heard this all of our lives; yet who among us hasn’t picked up a book, looked at the cover, and put it back down without a second glance, simply because the art on the cover didn’t appeal to us? After much soul searching, I have made the painful and difficult decision to change the cover on “Rag Dolls: Callie’s Story”. I’m worried that the current cover might give potential readers the wrong idea about the book’s message; that the cover might make them think “Rag Dolls: Callie’s Story” is a horror story. I wrote “Rag Dolls: Callie’s Story” hoping to bring attention to the plight of children in foster care. The book has a strong message which is intended to speak to the reader and hopefully bring attention and understanding to the situation that children in care endure every day. While the plight of our children in Foster Care is definitely a horror, it is not a horror story in the sense that Bram Stoker’s “Dracula” or Frank Darabont’s “The Walking Dead” are horror stories. Child abuse is a real life horror story that can, and does, happen every day. I feel that the current cover not only gives the wrong idea about the book; it actually detracts from the solemn subject matter of the book. I believe that if you have read “Rag Dolls: Callie’s Story”, you will agree. I’ve found an experienced designer who is excellent at what she does, and who, I believe, has been able to capture the essence of my...

By the time you finish reading this blog more than three children will be abused. Depending upon your reading speed, between five and twenty children will die at the hand of their abuser before you finish reading Rag Dolls: Callie’s Story. Every ten seconds in the United States, a child is abused; every day, more than five children die of neglect or abuse. More than eighty percent of those who die will be under the age of four. Of the approximately 425,000 children in foster care at any given moment, only about 50,000 will be adopted. Roughly another 27,000 will “age out” of care on their eighteenth birthday. Those who do age out are often ill-prepared to survive in the world; nearly half don’t even have a high school diploma! These are the statistics according to the United States Department of Health and Human Services Administration for Children and Families. Sadly, there are a few people who become Foster Parents only for the monthly check they receive from DHS. These people will not spend one extra dime on the children they take into their homes. Some of these people will take in as many Foster Children as possible, using the children as a form of income. Because there are so many Foster Children and so few Foster Parents, Social Workers often have no choice but to place children in these less than desirable homes. Children who end up in homes like these are often treated as an inconvenience. Some are used as household servants. Some are verbally, mentally and sometimes physically or sexually abused. Often, in homes like these,...